MGB

I'll disagree with the there being no way to spin any but high end balls. I play some very penal courses where the wind blows quite hard. When we play them we use what we call "rental balls". These are experienced balls gathered from the course, sorted and sold to members and guests at the club. Because of the number of tourists here, a large variety of balls are available, XXIO, New Wing, Reygrande, Kasco, Volvik, Tourstage as well as Titleist, Dunlop, Maxfli, Callaway, etc. Point is, I'll pick up an odd brand that I haven't played a while and give it a whirl. I've found, if struck properly, you can spin anything. The key is a descending blow at impact, pinching the ball against the ground. If correctly executed, you can stop anything on the green. Backing it up, however, is another story.

That's spot on Chris! I'll second the R7 MAX and R7 have a slightly closed face. My last bout with the R7, I had the thing on the more left (#6) setting to avoid the wicked hook, but still managed to hit it left on accasion. Can't wait to hit the R7 TP with the GD I65. That sounds like a winner. If Joe's observations are correct, differences between the Tour and TP versions should be minimal.

Check out the Tourstage RV-10, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. One of my regular flight mates really bombs the ball with this thing. And it's forgiving. Get the TD-02 shaft if you can or else just stcik what you like in it. Don't mind the funky sound it makes. Youcan find 330 and 360cc versions.

With regards to the replacement to the R5 line, this should represent trikle down of technologies currently in use on the R7 without the expensive weight adjustment configuration on the sole. We should see the expanded inverted cone face and possibly the super thin walled head without the adjustable weights. Expect the MAS plus and tour shafts to continue. Mitsubishi seems to be finding favor with TM, Nike and others these days.

This little anomaly stems from the your swing plane. When you find the correct swing plane with your irons, it will not work for the driver so you need to adjust your swing plane to it. The reverse, then is also true. I've found that the club can show you the proper plane on which to swing. At address, if you take the club back on the target line with your hands and arms then stop at 8:30 or 9:00 o'clock. Then without changing your spine angle, turn til your hands are at the top of the swing. This should be the correct plane. One of the best resources on this and other fundamentals is Ben Hogan's Five Lessons. The illustrations there are most helpful.

Overlap or Vardon for me, as well. Started with an interlock because of Jack, switched to the overlap for years, then back again to interlock just for a couple of months. Now the overlap feels like it's my own. I guess you need to grow into the grip the way you do so many aspects of this game.

I'm an anser freak myself, but since I started with a blade type putter (8802 and the like) I find it helpful to putt with one now and again. The simplicity of the head help me focus on the quality of the strike instead of miring me down in mechanics when too many aids are presented. Probably why I don't get on well with mallets. Putting is more Zen, anyway.

Mike, They are in some of the Miz shops we have. They go for about 20% less than the 87s. :smile2: Hadn't noticed, Toby. Thanks for the heads-up.

Heard the Japan version shaft options kick butt. Will have to wait and see what we get here, though. Even if we get Japan market clubs, not everything makes it over here. Good one about the "Wife price conversion"! :cool:

Well, I must defer to you since you own a set. The thicker sole and grooves must've been intended to make the 1 iron easier to hit. Mizunos have always had soft feel and I expect that these are no different.

Wow! haven't seen those before. Normally a sole like that is intended to hit the ball from iffy lies, bunkers included. Well, with the advent of hybrids, we won't see the likes of this again. Perhaps it's just as well.

I'm a natural slicer that's learned to hit the ball straight or make it draw. The key fix for me happened in two areas: First, set up. You have to make sure you have enough tilt to the right in your set up so you bring your shoulders back into line with the rest of your stance. Failure to do so will open the shoulders and force you to swing from the outside in. Second, start the downswing slowly, maintaining your spine angle. Think about dropping your arms downwards to start the downswing. This'll help you develop the inside-out swing you need to hit straight/draw. Don't concern yourself with distance, that will come in time. Just work on the feel til it becomes natural. Good luck!

One of the best amateur golfers in the Philippines has used a long putter for the last twelve years. He blew out his back and would have had to give up competitive golf if not for this club. Yes, he also had his putting woes. He went to great lengths to show me the cobbled together putting stroke he once used to qualify for the British Amateur in St. Andrews. I cringed in horror. But in the end, he needs it for his back, just so he can play golf. After years of competitive tennis and squash, my back's not in the best shape. I can't practice my putting as long as I'd like because it gets really tight on me and I have to lay on my back and stretch it. I'm seriously considering getting a long putter to play with as a long term investment. If and when my back does give out (I'm getting closer to 50 than I'll admit) I've got something to fall back on.

Thanks JY. Was wondering what happened to the pics. Fabulous putter, Joe. If you get tired of it, you know where you can send it. :laugh:

HE WEARS OUT HIS IRONS IN 6 MONTHS? :surprize:

Sorry to get in on this so late in the game, but my buddy had trouble getting me my demo because of the demand. I'd had a chance to hit the R7 on a couple of different occasions and didn't really want to jump to any conclusions, but it felt forgiving and quite solid at impact. When I got the R7 last week, I was preparing for a 2-man scramble and didn't really want to make a change since I'd been playing well with the R510. My curiosity (of course) got the better of me and after a very limited session at the range, put the R7 in my bag for the tournament. My partner and I shot 68 with 6 birdies. I missed one fairway. And we won it all. So do I like it? Would you with the kind of day I had? The MAS 7 Tour X-flex is perceptibly softer than the TM-500 Tour in the R510 and about ten grams lighter. Maybe not such a bad thing. It has a very nice kick to it, feels like 265 or so with a lively feel (A first! I like a stock shaft). I know the club is supposed to sit square at address but it definitely looked a wee bit closed to me. I like the swing weight and left the weights in the number 2 (low) position. The club had a definite draw in it, but I had no trouble hitting it straight when I wanted. I plan a test with my buddies on the range. We've got 2 R7's and we're going to run through the weight positions and let you know what happens. My initial impressions seem to agree with yours, Chris. I don't think there's enough weight in the screws to make a big enough difference. But I cant argue with how effective it is.

i would say neone using blades playing of a handicap of 5 or above is kidding themselves. god some most pros dont even use blades Oh, I don't know. I'm a 9.6 and just shot 76 on a tough mountain course with my Mizunos. Played Pings for years, had three sets, when I switched, it was like, why did I take so long to do it? I guess YMMV.

If you have the budget for them, you might consider a custom set of forgings. Look up our good friend Ari of Scratch Golf. He'll set you up. I think that'd be the ultimate.

Guys, these'll be available from TM soon. Pics of the expanded weight set and acompanying carrying case are floating around asia.

I agree that he's using coin forged RACs at the moment, but remember that TM's releasing a new forged player's iron late this year. I think Justin Rose's been playing the prototype.

It's from the same era as their System 2 drivers, sometime in the late eighties, I think. Cosmetics are the same. Remember seeing it, but didn't even pick it up, it was so ugly.

I played a Cleveland 460 NC-X for a wouple of weeks. Very, very easy to hit. Doesn't feel as explosive off the face as my R510, but definitely more forgiving. Distance is too close to call but the NC-X had a higher launch angle, for sure. The stock Fuji shaft is much better than the Fuji gold model they sell with the US market Launcher. I played with an S-flex (I normally play an X) without too many problems. A very, very nice club.

Really? That's a shock after seeing some of his early work. Wonder if his designs got neutered in committee or something.

Should be classy products. If I remember correctly De La Cruz and Richard Parente were the brains behind Goldwin golf clubs. Nice sticks but the heads on them didn't stand up well to wear. They made beautiful noises bumping together in the bag, though. Like Chimes. :wink:

Just wondering if anyone else heard about Kevin Burns signing to do putters for Tourstage. should be a similar arrangement as Scotty with Titleist or Bettinardi with Ben Hogan. Can't wait for the fruits of this union.